the 90s
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The Cat Is Back? Forever 21 Teases a Collab With Baby Phat
When Kimora Lee Simmons Leissner recently announced the reacquisition and relaunch of Baby Phat, we were admittedly curious how the early aughts silhouettes would be reimagined for a 2019 audience. But apparently, the former model turned designer is way ahead of us, seemingly having inked a deal to stage the label’s return to retail through…
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‘I Can’t Stop’: With Ms. Blakk for President, Moonlight Writer Tarell Alvin McCraney Campaigns as an Unlikely Candidate
“The most transparent way is the truth.” Tarell Alvin McCraney is telling me about the circuitous journey that led him and longtime collaborator Tina Landau to the real-life character of Ms. Joan Jett Blakk. That’s “two t’s, two k’s,” as she reminds us during her run for president at Chicago’s famed Steppenwolf Theatre, where McCraney…
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The Ultimate Oxymoron? ‘Family-Friendly’ Freaknik Is Planned for Atlanta This Summer
Sometimes a name change is in order. Remember Freaknik? If you’re old enough, you may recall the hedonistic Atlanta bacchanal that was the place to be during spring break if you were young, black and free in the ‘80s and ‘90s. What started out as a modest event among a group of Atlanta HBCU students,…
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Don’t Call It a Comeback: Are We Ready for a Real Cross Colours Revival?
It was, hands down, the most nostalgic moment of the 2018 Grammys: Building on the tremendous success of their In Living Color-inspired video, “Finesse,” Bruno Mars and Cardi B staged a technicolor takeover of the Grammys stage entirely outfitted in ’90s-juggernaut brand Cross Colours. It was a Gen X flashback come to life, filled with…
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From Living Single to Love Jones: How the ’90s Shaped My Style
Between Bruno Mars and our new president, Cardi B, taking us back to In Living Color with their video for “Finesse” and bingeing on Living Single after it made its way to Hulu last month, I’m in a ’90s mood. Listen, when Living Single debuted in August of ’93, I knew immediately that I wanted…
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#ThrowbackThursday: Last Night, Cardi B and Bruno Mars Gave Us Our Entire Lives—in Living Color
It feels so good to be us. For those old enough to remember (*cough* me), In Living Color was the sketch-comedy hallmark of our adolescence—in fact, its run spanned my entire high school career. The (elder) Wayans-brothers vehicle was a revolutionary counterpoint to Saturday Night Live, remixing comedy for the hip-hop generation—replacing the blues of…
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Before The Glow Up: The Root Staff Reveal Their Younger Selves in a #FlashbackFriday Series of Embarrassing Photos
It’s never all work and no play here at The Root, y’all. Though we work hard, we always make time for fun—including making fun of one another—because we’re one big ol’ happy, dysfunctional family. And because our family is spread out across the country, most of these hijinks take place on our messaging system, Slack.…